| While dogs are typically known as playful | | | | handler needs to become familiar with the dog's |
| companions and man's best friends, dogs also | | | | body language, so as to be certain that he has |
| have a number of roles that are not as widely | | | | indeed made a find. When the rescue dog follows |
| acknowledged. When law enforcement is called in | | | | a scent or trail to its end, for example, the dog |
| to find a missing person, or a natural disaster | | | | may return to the handler and give him a certain |
| strikes, dogs are often part of the first line of | | | | look. During the dog's training, it is essential the |
| defense when the time comes to respond. | | | | dog and the handler become comfortable with |
| Burmese mountain dogs, Saint Bernards and | | | | each other and learn each other's eccentricities. |
| Labrador Retrievers are among the most | | | | This is the reason why dogs change partners |
| common breeds favored for search-and-rescue | | | | very rarely because a bond develops during |
| training. Their roles may include all or some of the | | | | training. |
| following: wilderness rescue, avalanche searches, | | | | There are a multitude of skills that a successful |
| drowning searches, natural disasters, and in some | | | | Labrador rescue dog must learn throughout the |
| cases, corpse retrieval. | | | | training process. Among these are obedience, |
| Labrador rescue dogs in particular, being one of | | | | socialization and agility. Each of these skills should |
| the more common breeds, are generally classified | | | | be trained daily for the first few months, for |
| as one of the following: air scenting, tracking, or | | | | anywhere from ten to sixty minutes. For any kind |
| trailing. Air scenting dogs are trained to follow | | | | of rescue dog, scent training is also essential, but |
| airborne human scents, while tracking and trailing | | | | can be trained less often as the other skills, three |
| dogs follow scent trails that have been deposited | | | | to seven days per week, for five to thirty |
| on the ground. Each of these types is limited by | | | | minutes. |
| terrain and changing atmospheric conditions. While | | | | Generally, a rescue dog's skills will improve rapidly, |
| the importance of Labrador rescue dogs is | | | | if not daily. It is important to maintain skill training |
| undisputed, the methods used for their training | | | | in obedience as well as agility and socialization. |
| are far from trivial, and are dependent upon the | | | | Scent training can be taught less often as the dog |
| trainer's dedication and likewise, upon the dog's | | | | progresses, eventually decreasing to three to five |
| disposition. Training is an intensive process that is | | | | times per week. As training sessions become |
| often life-long, and begins when the puppy is | | | | fewer, however, duration should increase to |
| between eight and ten weeks old. The dog may | | | | between twenty and sixty minutes. Focus |
| be deployed as early as six to eighteen months | | | | sessions, such as scent discrimination, should |
| after training has begun. | | | | become frequent as well, but only after the dog |
| Because every dog is different, the training is as | | | | has proven its proficiency in the training area. |
| important to the handler as it is for the dog. The | | | | |